Cooking in the Time of Coronavirus
I am anxious. The coronavirus outbreak is wreaking havoc all over the world. San Francisco has locked down the city for 3 weeks, bars and restaurants cannot offer dine-in in Chicago, schools are closed all over the country, and my sister is living 8,000 miles away during this surreal moment in time. It’s one of those moments in time that as we live it, I know I will all be talking about it for the rest of my life. It is uncertain and chaotic. I can’t wait for things to go back to normal quickly. It feels avoidable and inevitable and that makes me feel powerless. I’m a news-junkie in my daily life and the over-consumption of information, especially in this case, is not helpful. What will happen to service industry workers, the sick, the old, the vulnerable, parents without childcare, and people who might lose their jobs because every industry is going into a tailspin? How long will we have to stay locked in at home? When it all ends, how long will it take for things to get back to “normal”?
Cooking has always been an outlet for me. It helps me channel my creativity in my best moments and my anxiety in my worst moments. I’ve been thinking about how I can channel all my unanswered questions about the state of the world into something productive and I thought if we’re all holed up in our homes with bags of beans, lentils, and rice, and we all have to cook way more often, then maybe I can help.
I understand what might be a staple for me might not be one for you. I hope there is a thing or two in here that keeps your meals interesting and maybe inspires you to try something new during this unscheduled interruption to our lives.
Leave me a note with your thoughts and tips on what you’re doing to stay sane.
Lentils
In these uncertain times, I have to say Indian people have an unfair advantage. At any given time, global pandemic or not, I have somewhere between 5-15 lbs of lentils in my pantry. That seems insane, I know but we Indians love our dals. There is yellow dal, red dal, black dal, split dal, whole dal - you name a color and a shape, and we have a dal for that. There are two categories of lentils - ones that require a pre-soak or a pressure cooker and others that cook a lot faster. My weeknight lentils are red lentils or masoor dal, split mung beans (moong dal), French green lentils, and black beluga lentils. They do not require a soak and cook in 20-30 mins, max. I usually make large batches of lentils and portion them out for lunches - add in some vegetables and you’ve got a well-rounded meal.
Here are my favorite dal recipes: dalma or Odia lentil & vegetable stew, red lentil stew, moong dal with greens, and French lentils in a tomato broth.
If you do have a little bit more time, you can dabble in toor dal (split yellow pigeon peas), that require a 2 hour soak; chana dal (split yellow peas) that require a 4-6 hour soak; or whole mung dal (whole dried mung beans) that require an overnight soak.
Here is the formula for a basic pot of dal; I recommend starting with red lentils (masoor dal):
Boil the lentils
For every 1 cup of lentils, add 1 plum tomato, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, and salt and boil the lentils until they’re cooked to your liking.
Temper the spices aka made a tadka!
Melt some ghee or olive oil in a small pan. For 1 cup of lentils, add 1/2 tsp whole cumin, 1 smashed or sliced clove of garlic, and an optional dried chili to the oil. When the cumin seeds are fragrant, about 2 mins, pour this mixture over the dal and stir through.
If you’re ready to level up, check out the recipes I’ve linked to above for inspiration.
Beans
According to some Googling I just did (this is how the sausage is made, people), beans and lentils are both legumes. When I think beans, they all either require a soak or must come canned. Kidney, black, cannellini, and garbanzo beans are my favorites. If you buy dried beans, your soups and stews will have a better texture than if you were using canned beans; canned beans are precooked, so they break down faster, and the slimy liquid can be off-putting to some. Don’t get me wrong, depending on how well I’ve planned, I use both, so I’m not trying to bean-shame you. If you’re new to cooking all these beans you now have in your pantry, start by looking up Mexican, Indian, Italian, and Middle Eastern recipes. Like lentils, they are great in large quantities and keep well in your fridge or freezer.
Here are some of my favorite bean-based recipes: chana masala with spinach, beet hummus, chipotle chicken and black bean stew, and chicken, cannellini and greens stew.
Batch Cooking
If you’re not someone who cooks a often and all of a sudden, you’re having to cook 2-3 meals a day, that can be a daunting task. I love to cook and I still need 1-2 nights off a week. Cooking meals in large batches can be a good solution - if you tend to get bored easily, don’t go too crazy and make 2-4 servings but if you don’t care about that sort of thing, then go crazy. Most of the lentil and bean recipes I have above can be made in big batches and frozen. Stews and curries are some of my favorite things and they are great batch-cooking options. I prefer to cook my vegetable dishes and sides and carbs like rice or pasta fresh but most other things are fair game for batch cooking.
Here are some of my favorite stews and such, perfect for batch cooking: coconut green curry, harissa lamb and chickpea stew, pork chile verde, coconut, salmon, and kale chowder, mole poblano, and my classic chicken curry.
Vegetables
Leaving your house for fresh produce may not be an option, so frozen vegetables will become your friend. Here are some of my favorite frozen vegetables and ways to incorporate them into my meals:
Frozen peas or carrot & pea mixtures - I love peas. They thaw and cook within minutes. Melt some ghee or oil, toast some cumin seeds, and add you peas. Season with salt and pepper. If you have access to lemon/lime and mint, those are also great add-ins.
Frozen chopped spinach or other greens - Any stew, dal, or soup can do with spinach or any other frozen greens like kale or Swiss chard. Frozen spinach doesn’t have too strong of a taste on it’s own so really, it’s a great add-in to help you get your veggies in.
Frozen onions - A lot of my recipes call for onions. Frozen onions, pearl or otherwise, work great in most recipes.
Frozen corn - I love pops of sweet corn in my stew, soups, and stir-fries. Like peas, they also thaw very quickly. I especially love corn in that chipotle black bean soup!
Flavor Boosters
When I don’t have a lot of ingredients handy, I rely on a few things to add some extra umph to my dishes:
Anchovies - highly divisive but a really amazing bump of umami to salad dressings, pastas, and stew bases. No, it does not taste like fish - add 2 to 3 fillets to servings for 4 people and it will create a lot of incredible depth of flavor. Search “anchovies” in the search bar for inspiration.
Fish sauce - same idea as anchovies but I primarily use sauce in my East Asian recipes or stir fries. Search “vietnamese” or “thai” in the search bar for inspiration.
Broth - this is obvious. I’m partial to this brand.
Nuts - add a little chopped peanut or almond to your food! Texture is the name of the game.
Pickles - Pickled onions, carrots, beets, radishes, cauliflower, and more add a tangy balance to so many dishes. Here is my formula, shared as part of a chicken taco recipe; it works for any vegetable.
